Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 552: Borrowing the Tiger's Power

Pei Yuan felt a little agitated when he thought about how hard it was to struggle to survive last year.

Just as he was about to open his heart to Song Chunniang and have a good chat, he heard Song Chunniang, who was curled up in his arms, say, "Come to think of what happened last year. I was once injured almost as badly as you are now."

"Oh?" Pei Yuan recalled quickly, "Was it when Lu Ting besieged us in Nanzhili? Or was it when we encountered the Bazhou bandits in Shandong?"

Song Chunniang could be said to be Pei Yuan's best adjutant on the battlefield. She always cooperated closely with Pei Yuan and was almost always present in several fierce battles.

However, the answer is neither of these two.

Song Chunniang gritted her teeth and said viciously, "It was in a riverside house by the Qinhuai River! I was nearly beaten to death by a bastard!"

"If I hadn't risked my courage to seduce you, you would have been thrown against the wall and died."

Pei Yuan felt a chill in his heart and immediately sensed a sense of crisis.

It is really difficult to look back on the past.

He shrank his abdomen slightly out of guilt, but was unable to break free from the grasp.

Song Chunniang also noticed Pei Yuan's little move, and her hands became more and more tense, "The captain was injured this time, should I show my gratitude and help him relieve his pain?"

Pei Yuan was a little wary, "What do you mean?"

Song Chunniang sneered, and with the fingers of her other hand, she kneaded a bruise on Pei Yuan's arm. The slightly heavier force immediately made Pei Yuan cry out in pain.

Pei Yuan wanted to get up, but not only was his vital point restrained, but Song Chunniang was also not an easy person to deal with.

When he captured her in the river house, Pei Yuan was forced to use his most powerful death roll to turn the tables.

Pei Yuansu knew what was happening and immediately tried to persuade him with warmth, "You know, I was just thinking about your kindness."

Song Chunniang would never accept this, and said unhappily, "Are you being pretentious again?"

He pinched them in turn without any effort, "What's the best way? Is this better, or this better?"

Pei Yuan felt a mixture of pain and pleasure, and cried out in pain again.

Pei Yuan and Song Chunniang are used to being shameless, but now Qingge Manyue are around, doesn't Pei Qianhu have any face?
Song Chunniang had done it unintentionally before, but after paying attention to Pei Yuan's reaction, suddenly some of her original intentions began to arise again.

She hesitated and tried it again with both hands.

After noticing the reaction of the bastard, Song Chunniang's body, which was riding on Pei Yuan, gradually became hot.

She was silent in the darkness for a while, and then she muttered to herself, "Today, I will settle the score for the beating I received last time."

Pei Yuan had a bad premonition and was about to refuse, but Song Chunniang had already let go of her hands and held his face and kissed him.

Pei Yuan didn't understand what was going on, but seeing Song Chunniang being so affectionate at this moment, he kissed the woman back gently.

Song Chunniang kissed him for a while, then slowly slid down her legs that were riding on his waist.

Pei Yuan had to emphasize again, "I am injured now."

The tone has softened, and responsibility is waived in advance for unsatisfactory cooperation later.

"Yes." Song Chunniang agreed perfunctorily, accepted it very obediently, and wrapped Pei Yuan tightly with her legs and hands.

?

Pei Yuan's bad thought just now came to his mind again. Could she...

Just as she was thinking about it, Song Chunniang put her hands and gently pinched the bruised areas on Pei Yuan's body.

……

When Pei Yuan woke up in the morning, he felt as if his whole body was hollowed out.

He looked to the left unhappily, and when he found that it was not him, he looked to the right.

Song Chunniang was lying there lazily, naked, and she didn't have any energy at all at this moment.

Pei Yuan propped himself up and found that the bruises on his body had unexpectedly faded a lot.

Last night, he was filled with hatred and anger, gnashing his teeth and wishing that he could do it. Song Chunniang didn't know whether to live or die, and she stubbornly said that Pei Yuan was being pretentious and insisted on pinching him.

After a night of almost exhausting indulgence, many of the bruises on his body were actually relieved.

Pei Yuan angrily shook off Song Chunniang's hand on him.

Song Chunniang was still pretending to be asleep, but she couldn't help but smile.

Pei Yuan leaned over and whispered in her ear, "It'll be your turn next time."

Pei Yuan thought that he still had to be in Zhihua Temple today to welcome everyone's visit, so he had to get up reluctantly and take a simple shower.

After finishing breakfast, Pei Yuan arrived at the front yard and found that Cen Meng was already waiting there with some guards.

Pei Yuan asked casually, "Where is Chen Xinjian?"

Cen Meng replied, "Reporting to the captain, he heard from the captain yesterday that the wedding should be arranged as soon as possible, so he went to discuss it with the bride's family overnight. Now both families are ready, and he also consulted Taoist Zhiwei, who said that today and tomorrow are both good days, so the captain can choose a day."

Pei Yuan wondered if this was a bit hasty, but then he remembered that this seemed to be what he had requested.

In this era, the main ceremony of a wedding is held at the man’s home.

As for the girl's family, if they hadn't experienced the previous broken engagement and remarriage, they would have already completed the process of returning to the bride's parents' home.

For the Chen family, Pei Yuan is someone who cannot be disobeyed.

Chen Toutie's wealth and status were all given by Pei Yuan himself, and Chen Xinjian also hinted that he would be given an important position.

Since this was the marriage proposed by Captain Pei, the Chen family was naturally very enthusiastic.

Pei Yuan didn't know when Han Qianhu would enter the capital, so he said again, "The sooner the better. If the Chen family is ready, we will hold a ceremony for them tonight."

After that, he said to Cen Meng, "Send someone to Da Ci'en Temple to urge my second brother to ask him whether he can give the thousand households he promised last time."

Wait until the messengers leave.

Pei Yuancai took Cen Meng to Zhihua Temple.

In fact, there was no need for Pei Yuan to notify anyone. Everyone who had been paying attention to the developments at Da Ci'en Temple these days knew that Pei Yuan had come out on the day he left Da Ci'en Temple.

It’s just that they got the news late and couldn’t rush over immediately.

Wei Ne did meet Pei Yuan first, but since Pei Yuan didn't give any instructions at that time, he thought there was nothing urgent, so he simply took advantage of the day off to visit with gifts.

Wei Ne tried to find out about Yang Chi in a roundabout way.

Pei Yuan did not hide it and said, "Now that my business is getting bigger and bigger, there are more and more places where I can be controlled by others. This kind of thing is unavoidable, so I want to say hello to the people behind him."

Wei Ne was relieved. He thought for a while and said, "Yang Chi was born in the capital, and he doesn't show any special inclinations. It's just that he has been to many government offices, and it's hard to say which ones are close to him."

After Pei Yuan sent Wei Ne away, he heard that Xiao Yan and his son had arrived.

Pei Yuan quickly asked someone to welcome them in. Xiao Yan first showed concern for Pei Yuan's injury, and then said with a sigh, "My uncle is gone, and everyone is not very respectful of him. He can't take care of everything inside and outside the house."

Pei Yuan asked in surprise, "Why did Brother Xiao bring up this?"

Xiao Yan said with a complicated expression, "Li Zhang's nephew Li Jin has been assigned to the Banner Guard. He asked me to express my gratitude to the captain."

Pei Yuan thought about it and roughly understood it.

Pei Yuan bypassed Xiao Yan and helped Li Zhang's nephew fill the vacancy, which naturally made those who were originally members of the Xiao party feel that the Xiao family was no longer reliable.

Pei Yuan's act of entrusting Lu Ting, the seal holder of the Imperial Household Department, to do things will undoubtedly give those who have fallen on hard times the illusion that as long as they follow Pei Yuan closely, they can also be the winners.

Xiao Yan felt helpless, but there was nothing he could do.

Pei Yuan became interested in this information and immediately asked, "Did Li Zhang say anything else?"

Xiao Yan shook his head, "No, he just asked me to convey my gratitude to you."

Thinking about the situation at that time, he added, "By the way, he also said that he would be able to thank Qian Hu in person in the next few days."

Recently? In person?
Pei Yuan's heart moved, and he had already guessed that Li Zhang had probably handed the letter to the queen.

Moreover, he also actively expressed to Pei Yuan that he would be able to enter the palace in the near future.

Although he had made the judgment before, the queen did not make it public after reading the letter, which encouraged Pei Yuan a little.

As long as she is also cautious and no longer so arrogant, there will be a basis for transactions between them.

After Xiao Yan left, the people who lined up to see him surprised Pei Yuan a little.

The person who came turned out to be Liu Pang, the former ceremonial doctor.

Pei Yuan thought about his dealings with this Brother Liu and felt a little confused for a moment.

Even though he had done him a few favors and their relationship was pretty good, he was a civil servant and a noble official in the Ministry of Rites. Why would he come to find a Jinyiwei like him?
Fortunately, Yun Buxian and his group of wounded soldiers had been moved to other Buddhist halls, so there was nothing shameful in the hall at the moment.

Pei Yuan then asked someone to invite Liu Pang in directly.

Liu Pang first exchanged a few customary pleasantries, and then asked about Pei Yuan's injuries.

He got Pei Yuan's boast that "everything is fine".

Liu Pang then pleaded impatiently, "I have encountered a difficulty, and only you can help me. If you have time, please lend me a helping hand."

After hearing this, Pei Yuan knew that Li Shishi's first step had been successful and Liu Pang's position had been officially transferred.

He pretended to be ignorant and asked, "The Department of Hosts and Guests? Isn't Brother Liu in the Department of Ceremonials?"

Liu Pang said somewhat awkwardly, "It's the Ministry of Hosts and Guests. Earlier, my dear brother mentioned to me that the Junior Master of the Imperial Clan might go on a mourning period. After much thought, I decided to follow your advice and stay out of the spotlight for the time being, so as not to be an eyesore in front of the Grand Master of the Imperial Clan."

"So a few days ago, I got an opportunity and took the opportunity to transfer my job to the Guest Department."

While Liu Pang was speaking, he looked at Pei Yuan from time to time.

This was Pei Yuan's suggestion, and Pei Yuan certainly would not ridicule Liu Pang.

Besides, it is human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm. Pei Yuan is an outsider, so what is there to criticize?

Pei Yuan skipped this topic and asked directly, "If Brother Liu was in the Ceremonial Department, our two families' tasks would have some overlap, but Brother Liu has already gone to the Host and Guest Department, and our two families' tasks are completely unrelated. I'm afraid I am powerless to help."

Liu Pang said quickly, "You are too modest. I want to borrow your power, not your official business."

Pei Yuan asked in surprise, "What do you mean?"

Liu Pang then sighed, "I originally thought that the Guest Service was an easy job, but I didn't expect so many problems to happen right after I took over."

As he spoke, Liu Pang complained to Pei Yuan, "Let's talk about the Korean delegation first."

"Last year, the memorial they presented to the emperor was disrespectful and was rejected by the Ministry of Rites because of its disrespectful language. I thought they would learn from their mistakes and be grateful for the emperor's kindness, but I didn't expect them to be unrepentant and cause trouble again this time."

After Pei Yuanlue thought about it, he probably knew that the thing Liu Pang mentioned first should be the "memorial controversy" that has existed in history.

Although North Korea was a vassal of the Ming Dynasty, it liked to do some small tricks in its memorials from time to time in an attempt to secretly please itself.

That incident angered the Ministry of Rites, but it was later suppressed by Zhao Zige, who only sent an envoy to reprimand.

Unexpectedly, the Ming Dynasty's temporary tolerance resulted in even greater excitement among the Korean delegation.

Pei Yuan asked, "What happened to them this time?"

Liu Pang gritted his teeth and said, "The day before yesterday, when I led their envoys to see the emperor, the Korean envoy mistakenly addressed the emperor as 'Your Highness'. At that time, all the court officials were furious. When I saw this happen, I was sweating like rain and was confused and terrified."

"Fortunately, the emperor was magnanimous and laughed to ease the situation. He said, 'He is a small countryman, so it's not surprising that he said something wrong!' Finally, the incident didn't get out of hand."

"But since something like this has happened, someone has to take responsibility."

"I happened to be in charge of the tribute affairs of the vassal officials, and I happened to be implicated. Now the censor has impeached me, and I don't know how the Grand and Junior Imperial Clan Ministers will punish me after they come out of the Imperial Clan Examination Hall."

Pei Yuan couldn't help but sneer when he heard this.

As a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, Korea should naturally address the emperor of the Ming Dynasty as "Your Majesty" and the king of Korea as "Your Highness". The envoy's misunderstanding caused the Ming Dynasty and Korea to be at odds with each other.

If you are careless and sloppy, you may not take it seriously.

However, looking at North Korea's past actions, this kind of sneaky transgression of etiquette is already common.

This kind of sneaky usurpation may not harm the Ming Dynasty, but if it succeeds once, it will be enough to make the whole of North Korea feel secretly happy.

If we use one sentence to summarize the exchanges between Korea and the Central Plains dynasties over the past thousands of years, it would be this.

——Testing secretly, apologizing with tears, and daring to do it again next time.

Of course, this was not the only time that Korea acted secretly towards the Ming Dynasty.

During the Zhengde period alone, when Zhu Houzhao had just ascended the throne, the Kingdom of Korea caused a big event.

According to the custom, when the Ming Dynasty had a new emperor, it would send envoys to the vassal states to announce the official reign. Basically, it was to inform them that starting from next year, they would celebrate the Zhengde year and stop using the Hongzhi reign.

As a result, when North Korea heard that the Ming Dynasty had a new emperor, it didn’t know what went wrong.

"When the king welcomes the imperial edict, he does not greet it outside the city, nor does he kneel on the ground."

In other words, the King of Korea did not leave the city to welcome the imperial edict, nor did he kneel on the side of the road waiting for the envoy.

Is this polite? This is so rude!

Xu Mu, a Hanlin scholar who was accompanying the envoy, saw that a diplomatic incident was about to occur, so he immediately stepped forward to cite historical facts and repeatedly argued, and finally made the King of Korea withdraw his attempt.

But such a test itself hurt the reputation of the Ming Dynasty. No matter what the result is, it is just an effort to save the situation.

Being able to retreat safely after provoking the Ming Dynasty only encouraged them to "dare to do it again next time".

(End of this chapter)